WHY VETERINARIANS SUICIDE

Good day dear friends and colleagues, it has moved my heart in the past few months with some news, that are not so new actually, but every day they become more frequent. Each time there are more and more Veterinarians taking a dangerous step, and I would like to take a little space in this blog to talk about this issue that is not only in the USA, but also worldwide.

Some studies have identified a relationship between suicide and occupation, including Health Care and Veterinary profession.

The rate of suicide in the Veterinary profession has been pegged as close to twice that of the Dental profession, more than twice that of the Medical profession, and 4 times the rate in the general population.

The 2012 CVMA National Survey Results on the Wellness of Veterinarians found that 19% of respondents had seriously thought about suicide and 9% previously attempted suicide. Of those who had seriously thought about it, 49% felt they were still at risk to repeat. The risk is real. The numbers are compelling.

Suicidal talk is a major warning sign for suicidal risk and should always be taken seriously. The myth suggests that suicidal talk is just attention-seeking behavior, while in truth it is an invitation to help the person to live. If help isn’t forthcoming, especially after they’ve made themselves vulnerable by having disclosed sensitive thoughts and feelings, they may feel it will never come. Without appropriate response, suicidal talk — which begins with suicidal thoughts — can escalate to suicidal acts.

Anecdotally it may seem that pet ownership is protective, but research has not demonstrated an association between pet ownership and suicide. In fact, the loss of a beloved pet can be a risk factor for suicide.

Although folklore includes tales of suicide among animals, modern naturalistic studies of thousands of animal species in field situations have not identified suicide in nonhuman species. Death by suicide is strictly a human phenomenon.

The widely acknowledged risk factors for suicide in the general population include personality factors, depression (as well as other forms of mental illness), alcohol and drug abuse, inherited factors, and environmental factors (including chronic major difficulties and undesirable life events). Although the specific factors contributing to the increased rate of suicide in the veterinary profession have not yet been determined. The following factors may contribute to the increased risk of suicide in our profession: personality factors, undergraduate training, professional isolation, work-related stressors, attitudes to death and euthanasia, access to and knowledge of means, psychiatric conditions, stigma around mental illness, and suicide contagion.

Veterinarians tend to be high achievers, and high achievers have tendencies to perfectionism, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, all of which can be risk factors for mental illness. Similarly, veterinarians with a preference for working with animals rather than people, may have a higher risk of depression as a result of relative social isolation.

Many veterinarians in private practice work in relative isolation where there is often little supervision and access to assistance from veterinary colleagues, an environment ripe with the potential for professional mistakes. The considerable emotional impact of such mistakes may contribute to the development of suicidal thoughts.

Inadequate professional support and professional mistakes, along with other work-related stressors such as long working hours; after hours on-call duties; conflictual relationships with peers, managers, and clients; high client expectations; unexpected clinical outcomes; emotional exhaustion (compassion fatigue); lack of resources; limited personal finances; concerns about maintaining skills; and the possibility of client complaints and litigation can all contribute to anxiety and depression, which increase vulnerability. Long-term exhaustion (burnout), characterized by disillusionment and demoralization, may also increase vulnerability.

Veterinarians in private practice are commonly required to engage in the active ending of life, with strong beliefs in quality of life and humane euthanasia to alleviate suffering. Likewise, those in food production are required to end the lives of animals via the slaughter of livestock. Active participation in the ending of animal life may alter views on death and the sanctity of human life, and in the face of life’s challenges, enable self-justification and reduce inhibitions towards suicide, making suicide seem a rational solution.

Veterinarians have access to and knowledge of prescription medications (including drugs for anesthesia and euthanasia), increasing the potential for misuse. With ready access and knowledge, such substances could be used not only as a (maladaptive) means of coping, but also as a means to suicide, potentially being a key factor in the high rate of suicide in the profession 

Just as mental illnesses such as depression and substance misuse and dependence are associated with suicide in doctors, by extension, they may also be a factor in suicide by veterinarians. Two-thirds of people who die by suicide suffer from a depressive illness.

Now I would like to say something that perhaps could sound a little rare, specially for all of those who have known me for less than 5 years long. About 11 years ago I had attempted suicide, perhaps more than 4 times by then, from which I had been taken to the hospital for substances abuse, I was not a Veterinarian yet, although I know the feeling. About 8 years ago somebody talked to me about Christ, and before you begin to judge or say that this is a religious comment, maybe you should stop right there and open up your mind and read this.
I was going through the hardest times of my life, I knew what rejection was, I knew what the feeling of not being able to do things right was, but let me tell you something, Christ changed me completely.
I was never the same after I took Him in my life. I started the Veterinarian career, I finished it, and to be honest, even with all the pressure, Christ held me, comforted me, and loved me when nobody else did, if you are a Veterinarian, or just a person that likes animals and their care, this is also for you, Christ is more powerful than we could even imagine, movies are quite short, stories are nothing compared to what He really is. But you know what, the most important thing is that Christ loves you no matter what, and He will strength you and hold you as long as you let Him do so.

So for all my Veterinarian colleagues out there, hold on, and pray, just stop right there, Christ will change things completely, even when He's silent, He will turn things in your favor just because He can and because He loves you!
And think about your four paw patients, those who can't speak but surely are much more thankful than humans, think of how you can help the creations of God, and how humble and beautiful our profession surely is!
If you need any kind of help with depression, or have any suicidal thoughts, don't hesitate, contact me, or talk to someone you feel trust in, but please just stop right there, and talk about it, you are a very valuable person, unique, and definitely important!

Thank you for taking your valuable time to read this until the end.

MVZ Carolina Pruneda

References:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2016/09/18/why-many-veterinarians-commit-suicide/iCCgr46bIJpgEeesPHTe2L/story.html?event=event25
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266064/
http://stevedalepetworld.com/depression-suicide-veterinary-medicine/
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/most-suicidal-occupations-2011-10#4-veterinarians-are-154-times-more-likely-to-commit-suicide-16
http://www.care2.com/causes/why-is-the-suicide-rate-for-veterinarians-so-high.html#15048451623692&action=expand_widget&id=0&data=
http://www.startribune.com/veterinarians-at-high-risk-for-suicide-and-the-job-could-play-a-role/392775791/